Frozen Flower
by Aria6
Summary: Sequel to Aethalmage! The story of Xigbar, Xaldin and Vexen on an epic quest to find something that should not be found...
1. Chapter 1

Xigbar stared into his mug of brew. It was a very good beer, dark and thick like beer should be. He took a long pull and sighed in pleasure at the malty taste.

"I don't know how you can drink that stuff." His companion commented, draining his own glass of wine. Xigbar sneered.

"Limp wristed wine snob. Bet you like the cock too, Xaldin." Xaldin snorted, and took a long drink directly from the bottle.

"You would know, cocksucker. We're only slept together, what, a dozen times?" Xigbar decided not to point out it had been far more than that. They had fallen into bed together once after a particularly hard mission, and it had just gone on from there. He wouldn't say they were in love… god no… but he and Xaldin were accustomed to each other.

In every way, they were a mercenary team. They had met up for that mission and never drifted apart. There had been no discussion, no words. Xigbar had just moved his stuff into Xaldin's apartment, one drunken night, and the other mercenary hadn't complained. When they had the money and inclination, they seduced the adventurous or hired a whore to share. The rest of the time, they fucked with each other between missions and drunken fun.

Xigbar thought it was a good life. Steady sex, good drink and he only had to do the work he chose. He and Xaldin had already established reputations as 'go to' men… men you could go to for anything. They'd done it all, from assassinations to finding wayward children. As long as it paid well. The only thing they didn't have was a retirement fund, and Xigbar grinned at the thought. Talumancers lived as long as aethalmages, so the likelihood of him needing a retirement fund was slim. And Xaldin was the type to keep going until someone shot him. Which was inevitable, when the reflexes started to go.

"So who are we going to fuck tonight?" Xaldin said conversationally, and Xigbar squinted at him over his mug.

"Each other?" They were currently at low ebb in the financial stream. The last mission had gone poorly, and they'd had to settle for the partial payment they'd gotten up front. Which was fair enough, Xigbar supposed. It hadn't been their fault, but daddy dearest wasn't going to pay more for his daughter in the condition they'd found her. Too little, too late.

"I mean, if we had any choice in the matter." Xaldin gestured to the people wandering by in the club. It wasn't really a bad club. It catered to the foot soldiers of organized crime and the semi-respectable freeshooters like himself and Xigbar. So the whores on display weren't half bad, even if they weren't top dollar. And the other mercs could be damn interesting.

"Oh, theoretically? Hmmm." Xigbar eyed the room and settled on one particular redhead. "That girl looks hot. I'd like to have her in my sheets." She was clearly a whore, too, from the revealing clothing she was wearing. Xaldin looked at her dubiously. He was drunk and the beer goggles were firmly in place… but still…

"Bit chubby, isn't she?" He didn't think the revealing clothing was being that kind. Xigbar grinned.

"More cushion for the pushin'." He said, and Xaldin coughed on his wine.

"Every time I think I've heard everything, you find a new way to appall me… hmm. That guy looks interesting. Shit, I think he's even looking at us." Xaldin belched. "He must have horrible taste." They were both drunk as hell, and it showed, so most of the other mercs were staying away. And the guy Xaldin was looking at was clearly not a whore. He was tall, with long blond hair, green eyes and a cool, thoughtful expression. His clothing was a cut above most of the people in the club, and he was indeed looking at them.

"Looks like a cold fish to me," Xigbar muttered, taking another deep drink of his beer. Xaldin grinned.

"Those can be the best when you unthaw them. Wonder if he's a biter? Ohh, shh, he's coming this way." The blond haired man was indeed heading their way. He stopped at their table, and Xigbar noticed he was wearing a black choker with a rose on it.

"You would be Xigbar and Xaldin." He said, his voice low and slightly arrogant. Xaldin eyed him with interest, and Xigbar sighed to himself. Xaldin did like the ones with an edge. But the man snapped something onto the table, and Xigbar blinked at it. A business card? "My… master would like to speak to you. Clearly you're far too drunk tonight, but the hours he will be available and the location of his manor are on the card."

"Oh? And we should jump when you say jump?" Xigbar said, completely unimpressed. The man smiled at him, a quick flash of sharp white teeth.

"No. You should jump to visit the man who's willing to pay you bags of money." Xigbar couldn't find anything to object to in that… he was very fond of bags of money… and Xaldin picked up the card, making it disappear.

"What's your name?" Xaldin asked, and the man flashed him that quick smile again.

"Vexen. And by the way," he said as he turned away. "I am a biter." Xaldin's mouth dropped open… how could the man have heard him, halfway across the room? Xigbar's attention sharpened, and despite the drink he finally picked up on what he should have gotten in the first place.

"Aethalmage." He muttered to Xaldin, who shut his mouth with a snap.

"Well, shit. There goes a good idea." Xaldin made it a habit not to play with aethalmages. They could be unpleasant in so many unexpected ways. Xigbar was just glad he hadn't known what a talumancer was when they'd first taken up together, or Xaldin probably wouldn't have let him into his bed. Although from the longing look Xaldin was sending after the departing aethalmage, Xigbar wondered if he might make an exception. Xigbar smirked to himself, finishing off his beer.

He doubted the aethalmage was really interested. It might be interesting to watch Xaldin make a fool of himself.


	2. Marluxia

"This is the place?" Xaldin consulted the card, frowning. "Huh. Someone is really rich." Xigbar could only nod.

Most aethalmages lived in Uptown, but some didn't. Either because they were poorish, for aethalmages… bad debts and investments could add up, even with their pay… or because they were exceedingly rich. Those few aethalmages who were the second lived on hereditary estates in the city. At first glance, they looked like parks… until you realized there was no way to enter. The fences were high and the gates were firmly closed. Given the prices land could fetch in the city, most aethalmages who owned such estates had sold them long ago and moved to Uptown. The few who hadn't didn't need to, and liked having the land around them.

This aethalmage owned a very large swath of land sandwiched between the slum and a lower middle class district. Xigbar glanced between the bars of the fence as they walked, trying to find the entrance, and frowned as he spotted bones under a tree. They looked too big to be animal. Then he shrugged. If the aethalmage had lethal defenses up, that was his business. One of the harsher aspects of Theradin law was the fact that if you caught someone intruding on your property, you could do anything you pleased to them. That was why sneak thievery was less popular than simple muggings.

"Holy shit!" Xaldin's exclamation brought Xigbar's thoughts back to reality, and he blinked as he spotted what had surprised his partner. They had found the gate… and the gatekeeper, who appeared to be made of vines and small, pink flowers. It had a humanoid shape but that was all. Xigbar whistled… he'd heard of such things, living golums, but they just weren't worth making with talumancery. The power drain was too heavy. Had the aethalmage found a way to make this one self-sustaining?

"We're here to see aethalmage Marluxia." Xigbar said firmly to the construct as Xaldin took a step back, reaching for his guns. "Ease up man, it's just a golum. I'm Xigbar and this is Xaldin." The golum seemed to think about it a moment, then slowly opened the gate and motioned them towards the road. It was paved in grey-green stones, and led off deep into the woods. "Thanks." Xigbar doubted the construct could appreciate thanks, but it never hurt to be polite.

"It's fucking nasty, is what it is. I bet it has no weak points." Xaldin muttered as they began walking. Xigbar shrugged. He had no doubt Xaldin was right, but…

"A good blast of fire magic would take care of it. Don't worry so much. And don't move off the road, I think the woods here would be dangerous." He cautioned his friend as Xaldin stepped on the grass. Scowling, he stepped back and favored the woods with a hard glare. The trees looked perfectly normal, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. "I sent Axel a quick crystal message before we left this morning, to find out something about this Marluxia." Talumancers made ribbons, but they were perfectly capable of using aethalmage crystals.

"Oh? What did he say?" Xaldin asked. That was interesting. Xigbar watched a flower moving slowly across the road, then stepped on it.

"That Marluxia's an herbologist and a genomancer. He specializes in crazy plants and mad flowers. You know Glory Blooms? He made those." That had impressed Xigbar. He'd always thought the useful little flowers with their deadly side effects were natural. "Also a whole bunch of other stuff, a lot of which is pretty damn useful. Better medicines, enhanced painkillers and a ton of magical plants. Personality wise, Axel couldn't say much, says he keeps to himself." Xigbar frowned, wondering how far they would have to walk to reach the mansion. "He had more to say about Vexen… a cold fish, not many friends, but apparently he loosens up when he's got some drink in him. He's a genomancer too, but not as focused as Marluxia, he works with animals and plants."

"Odd that he called Marluxia master." Xaldin commented, and Xigbar frowned. That was odd. Then he shrugged.

"We'll probably find out. There's the mansion. Holy crap, it's big." The mansion was truly huge. There had to be a hundred rooms in it. The gardens around it were huge too, and there were numerous greenhouses. "Man, this guy is dedicated… woah!" The servant who opened the door was another vine and plant construct. It beckoned them inside, and they followed, a touch nervously.

The inside of the mansion was utterly immaculate and full of wood and green living vines with pink flowers. They were planted in tubs along the walls, and had grown onto wooden trellises put there for them. Xaldin rubbed his nose, sniffing at the heavy pollen in the air.

"I think I might be allergic." He'd never had a reaction to flowers before, but he'd never been surrounded by this many either. The construct led them deep into the house, and they passed many more flowers… some vines with heart shaped, dangling blooms, bushes of red roses… after a while, they couldn't have kept track of the different blooms even if they'd tried. It seemed like every flower in the world was here somewhere.

"This guy is really dedicated." Xigbar muttered, and Xaldin nodded. It was actually slightly creepy. There was nothing else personal in the place except the endless flowers. But then, what more did you really need?

The construct finally brought them into a very comfortable sitting room. Vexen was lounging on a divan, and frowned as they walked in before shooting his companion a dirty look. Xaldin grinned and Xigbar lifted his eyebrows… Vexen was wearing only black leather pants and the same choker he had worn at the club.

"You could have warned me they were here, Marluxia." Vexen said snappishly, pulling himself up and trying to look as dignified as a man in black leather pants could. Marluxia only smiled and sipped his tea, and the two mercenaries gave their possible employer their full attention.

Despite the pink hair, he was a handsome, very masculine man. He was wearing considerably more than Vexen… a white, ruffled shirt with a black waistcoat and black pants. He looked like a dapper man around town, but Xigbar didn't think he would have ever mistaken Marluxia for harmless. There was something both amused and calculating in his eyes.

"So, you are Xigbar and Xaldin. Please, have a seat. Would you like some tea?" Xigbar declined, but Xaldin nodded and Vexen poured him a cup, silently handing it to him. Xaldin tried the tea cautiously, and blinked.

"Silver tips?" Marluxia's eyes widened slightly, and he smiled in what looked like genuine pleasure at Xaldin's recognition.

"Why yes, it is. Such a pleasure to meet another tea connoisseur. My current companion has the regrettable opinion that it all tastes like boiled weeds." Vexen just shrugged at that comment, and Xaldin shook his head.

"I wouldn't claim to be a connoisseur. I tried silver tips at a tea fair, and liked it enough to buy it, so I remember it." It had been a very expensive purchase, but Xaldin saw no reason to save for the future. Marluxia sighed at that.

"Ah, well. But if you like silver tips, perhaps I'll introduce you to iron cloud… later. For now, we have business to discuss." Marluxia smiled. "How would you like to earn a million munny? Each?" The two freeshooters exchanged a glance. A million? Was he serious?

"I'd like to ask what's the catch." Xigbar said, certain there had to be one, and Marluxia laughed softly.

"There are many catches. The first is that you will take Vexen with you." They both frowned and glanced at Vexen, who crossed his arms over his bare chest and looked at them indifferently. "It's his last service to me before I release him from his… pledge. I really don't want to give up his services, but if matters are as they appear it will be worth it. Now… the second catch is that you'll have to journey to Illendria."

"Illendria?" Xaldin blurted as Xigbar just looked puzzled. Since he was from Aerinos, he was still more familiar with that continent. He'd never heard of Illendria at all. "Are you kidding? That's a three month trip!" Marluxia sighed, examining his nails before taking another sip of his tea.

"I'm not in the habit of joking. Actually, it should only two months. You can take the airship to Lazto and travel from there. You'll be going to the capital city of Imstaba, and then you'll have to travel into the deep desert. I've been told you both know a bit about desert survival." Xaldin's eyes narrowed as Xigbar scowled. That was true, and they both wondered how Marluxia had gotten his information. "I want you to bring me samples of a very rare, very exotic plant."

"A plant in the deep desert?" Xaldin sounded as dubious as Xigbar felt, but Marluxia nodded.

"Indeed. There have been rumors for years of the Divinity Blooms, but ten years ago there was an actual report of someone from Illendria using one in battle. Fascinating! Of course, the reports are terribly garbled and inconsistent, but rumors say that the Divinity Bloom fills anyone who touches it with enormous power. I want one… preferably more than one… not to use, but to study." Marluxia smiled again, and Xigbar tilted his head.

"You don't want to be filled with enormous power?" Xigbar said, a bit sardonically, and Marluxia shook his head.

"Oh, I expect the rumors can't be true. I imagine one of three things will happen… either the rumors are entirely false and you will find nothing, the blooms powers have been wildly exaggerated, or… there will be horrific, terrifying side effects." Marluxia smiled darkly as Vexen looked away. "Frankly, given the nature of the reports I think the third will be true. Which is why Vexen will go with you. He's helped me with numerous dangerous items, and it will be his duty to take the samples."

"Uh… okay." Xigbar thought about it a moment, and realized having the aethalmage was probably a good thing… what did he and Xaldin know about taking cuttings? Nothing whatsoever. "Any other catches?" He had a feeling there was something more. Marluxia laughed lightly.

"Oh, well. I have sent three other teams before you. None of them returned… and the last team included an aethalmage." Marluxia sighed as they exchanged a glance. "I suspect part of the problem was that they weren't desert survivalists, and had to hire native guides who were less than trustworthy. I expect the two of you will manage to avoid that and keep Vexen alive. He's such a delicate flower." If looks could kill, Marluxia would have withered under Vexen's glower, but he seemed entirely unaffected. "Now, are you interested?" It didn't take them more than a moment of thought. Sure, it was probably dangerous as hell… but that was a lot of money.

"We're in. But we'll need a partial payment up front. For traveling expenses, if nothing else." Marluxia nodded and passed them an envelope. Xigbar flipped it open, seeing a treasury note.

"A note for a hundred thousand munny. That should be more than enough for your trip, and Vexen will have funds as well. The rest will be paid when you return with a sample."

"What if it turns out it's nothing but a rumor?" Xigbar wasn't keen to waste a lot of time for nothing. Marluxia shrugged.

"If Vexen says it's nothing but a rumor, I'll still pay you half the commission. I trust that he will not give up until he's certain." Marluxia gave the blond haired man a smile, and his green eyes narrowed in a look that was less than friendly. Xaldin felt like he was missing something, but had no idea what. "Now… let me show you something." Marluxia stood, picking up a walking cane with a carved rose on the end. It looked like a silly affection, so it probably wasn't. He led them out of the room, and Xaldin quickly finished the tea before following.

"Can I be excused to get a shirt?" Vexen said, his voice tight, and Marluxia glanced back at him with a bored expression.

"No, you may not. You can show Xaldin while I show Xigbar."

"Show us what?" Xaldin asked, curious now. Marluxia flashed him a quick smile as they entered a large, indoor greenhouse… or rather, a room before the greenhouse. There were odd, white masks on the wall, and Vexen immediately took one, sliding it over his face.

"How to take clippings and transport flowers and seedlings. This will be Vexen's job, but in case something unfortunate happens to him the two of you should know as well. It would be terribly sad if you reached the goal and were stymied by lack of knowledge. Put on masks. There are… properties to these plants that you would not care to be exposed to." Suiting actions to words, Marluxia donned his own mask, then white gloves. The two freeshooters followed suit. They had zero interest in plants, but it would be truly ironic to lose out on a million munny because Vexen had bought it.

Learning how to take the clippings wasn't hard, although it quickly became clear they weren't going to be as expert at it as Vexen. The solutions to put on the little clippings and the globes to plant them in were a bit more challenging. Fortunately, the globes would keep the clippings in a partial suspension… but they would still require care.

"Not that I'm fond of you yet, but I hope like hell nothing happens to you." Xaldin told Vexen, who surprised himself with a small laugh.

"I hope nothing does either." Xaldin found himself briefly captivated by the small smile on the aethalmage's face, the way his green eyes glittered when he was amused. Then he turned his attention back to the clippings.

"So when will we be leaving?" Xigbar asked as they left the greenhouse.

"In a week. The airship to Lazto runs on an irregular schedule, but that should give you more than enough time to get your affairs in order. Vexen will have your tickets, just meet him on the strip." Marluxia snapped his fingers, summoning a construct. "This will show you out. I hope you will meet with success."

"We'll do our best." A mission to find a rare plant was a new one, but they would definitely do their best.


	3. Wager Your Soul

"God, this sucks."

"Shut up." Vexen growled at Xigbar, who shut up with a glower. "No one is pleased about the situation. Deal with it."

The airship to Lazto was quite full. Not a huge surprise… airships were always popular, since they could cut a long trip into only a few days. But the one to Lazto was even more full than normal, probably because it made a good point to embark on further travels from. And since they had only gotten general public tickets, they had ended up crammed into bunk beds. There were four in the room, and the fourth was occupied as well, by a young man who fortunately kept to himself. But no one was pleased with the lack of privacy and cramped quarters. And the observation decks were packed too… so right now, the three of them were in their room, each doing their own thing. Xaldin was sharpening a knife, Vexen was wearing half-moon reading glasses and reading a report, and Xigbar was annoying them both.

"What are you reading so intently, anyway?" Xigbar leaned over his bunk, trying to catch a glimpse… Vexen was in the bunk beneath him. Vexen just ignored him, confident that he wouldn't understand anything in the report anyway.

"A report on possible improvements to the King's equestrian programs."

"Say that again in Theradese?" Xigbar asked, and Vexen sighed.

"How to improve the King's horses."

"Make them run faster," Xaldin said, not looking up from his knife. Vexen nodded.

"That is one of the goals. Alas, the process is not simple and there are drawbacks. You probably don't want to know the details." Which was a politer way of saying that they wouldn't understand even if he tried to explain. Xigbar snorted.

"You mean, we're too stupid to get it. But that's okay. My interest in genomancery is even lower than my interest in talumancery." Vexen frowned at him, puzzled.

"But you are a talumancer?" It made no sense to him that a talumancer would be uninterested in his own abilities. Xigbar shrugged.

"I never wanted to be. I just got yanked into the program when I showed the talent." That made Vexen frown even more.

"But surely talumancers are very well paid? I've never heard of a commoner child showing the talent and NOT wanting to be an aethalmage." That scenario had, as far as Vexen knew, never occurred. For the good and simple reason that having the aethalmage abilities immediately made you part of the elite. It didn't matter if your father was a ditch digger and your mother a laundress… if you were an aethalmage, you were among the powerful. And the pay was very, very good. The King did not stint on his aethalmages. Not to mention the special attention that was paid to those of more common origins. They could usually anticipate a few lavish gifts, to cement their loyalty and keep them on the same level as their peers. "I would never have refused." That caught his companions attention.

"You weren't born in the aethalmage families?" That was a surprise. Vexen hesitated, then shrugged.

"Not precisely. My father was an aethalmage bastard and my mother was a minor noble. So I knew from childhood that I had the blood on both sides, but there were no guarantees I would manifest it. I was overjoyed when I did, and my parents were very proud." Vexen sighed, looking at the report as he remembered. "If you go back in the genealogy, my aethalmage blood comes from the Tavoden and Scarsdan lines."

"Oh, I see. Well… yeah. Being a talumancer isn't quite like being an aethalmage." Vexen looked at Xigbar curiously, wordlessly asking him to explain. He'd never been to Aerinos so this was interesting. "For starters, it's a lot more common than aethalmagery seems to be. But mostly, it's not as useful. We can make ribbons and enchanted weapons, but the great airships… yeah. Ours aren't as good. So we mostly just buy stuff like that from Theradin. And there's a lot more of us, so we don't get paid as well, but we're still supposed to work for the Queen… bah. It sucked."

"I've always wondered. Why does Theradin have aethalmages and Aerinos has talumancers?" Xaldin asked, glancing up. Vexen smiled, his eyes warming a bit at an interesting topic.

"Ah, that's due to mutations and separate gene pools. If you look at the various types of magery out there… aethalmages, talumancers, the druids of Northshore, etcetera… you'll notice that they each come from a separate continent, or some other divide that prevented mixing for a great deal of time. You'll also notice that different types of magery tend to arise on racial lines." Vexen was clearly warming to his subject, and Xigbar winced… he sounded like one of his teachers. But Xaldin watched, more interested in the way the academic brightened when he was interested in something than the subject itself. "What happened was, sometime in the past a mutation arose. Often those mutations are rare and recessive, like aethalmagery, but they had significant survival advantages. So they tended to spread in the population, particularly since even the latent gift confers advantages. But they're not all the same mutation. Talumancery springs from a completely different genetic trick than aethalmagery, which is why the offspring of unions between the two have no power. The same is true of almost all other types of magery. Very few of the mutations are compatible."

"Yeah? Which ones are?" Xigbar asked, curious. He'd never imagined scholarly reports on the genetics and genealogy of humans. Although, he really should have… Axel had mentioned that aethalmages kept tight records to help preserve their bloodlines. But talumancers didn't bother, since the gift was more common.

"The druids of Northsea are compatible with talumancers, and the wryvain are somewhat compatible with aethalmages, although that results in some odd talents. That's about it… although it is possible to have more than one mutation at the same time, particularly the earth magic and something else." Vexen explained.

"I have a totally different question, since we're talking so much." Xigbar interrupted. All the talk about genetics was getting on his nerves. "Why do you call Marluxia master?" That was truly odd, from one aethalmage to another. Vexen's eyes narrowed for a moment with anger until he got control of himself.

"Because I must." There was a grim bitterness in his voice that caught both their attention. Vexen sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "I suppose I should tell you. When I was slightly inebriated, I made a very poor decision and wagered my immortal soul on a horse race. I assumed it was a joke. Unfortunately, Marluxia is not in the habit of making jokes. He keeps it in a jar on his desk." There was a pause as the two freeshooters glanced at either other, stunned.

"…Are you kidding?" Xaldin finally said, and Vexen shot him a look. "Sorry… but… how the hell? People can't do shit like that. Can they?" Vexen frowned as he realized Xaldin actually looked scared. But then, it was a frightening thought. Xigbar was looking at him intently as well.

"I didn't think so, which was why I assumed it was a joke. But…" Vexen drew out the word, then smiled bitterly. "If you think about it, there's no reason why it would be impossible. Demons can take souls to their master, and the fae are noted for taking souls as collateral to other agreements." Xigbar frowned thoughtfully at that. It was true, the faeries could and did take souls to seal their bargains. They had no use for the souls themselves, though, and typically returned them when the bargain was complete. Or not, depending on how things went. Bargains with the fae were always a bad deal. "I strongly suspect Marluxia learned it from the fae. Perhaps he did them a favor… they have a similar interest in plants." Vexen shrugged. "It hardly matters. All that matters is that he did it."

"What are the effects on you?" Xigbar asked, genuinely curious. If an aethalmage could do this, a talumancer probably could too. Vexen's lips thinned for a moment, then he shrugged again.

"I am completely vulnerable to Marluxia's magic as long as he holds my soul. I have no resistance against any spells, coercions or geas." Xigbar winced, understanding what that meant. In the normal course of things, people had high resistance to coercions. Aethalmages, talumancers and even earth witches were basically impossible to coerce or geas without consent, unless you broke their defenses first. Giftless people also had a resistance… it required either an overwhelmingly powerful spell or careful nurturing to lay in an unwilling coercion or geas. To be completely vulnerable to them meant that Marluxia could manipulate Vexen like a puppet, and there would be nothing the aethalmage could do about it. "Other than that, I seem to be unaffected. However, there is the possibility that I might be very difficult to kill. Some stories seem to indicate that a soulless body dies very hard. However, it's not a hypothesis I'm eager to test." Vexen sighed, running a hand through his hair. "However, when this last task is complete, I will have my soul back. Marluxia has taken an oath to me."

"Aren't you worried that he'll kill you when he gives you your soul back?" Xaldin asked with a frown. Vexen's bitterness and anger at Marluxia was obvious, and he didn't doubt that Marluxia knew he'd made a lifelong enemy. Vexen smiled bitterly again.

"Oh, he won't. While I would like nothing better than to see him die screaming, part of the oath was that I will forswear any vengeance against him when I have my soul back. I've already abased myself a great deal for it… what's one more humiliation? No doubt he will take pleasure in occasionally reminding me of it, but I'm not worried about my safety."

"He sounds pretty sick," Xaldin ventured, and Vexen nodded.

"Oh, he is. You have no idea. But that, I am not prepared to discuss." Vexen's tone shut the book on that topic, and he picked up his report again and started reading. Xigbar and Xaldin exchanged a glance, but went back to their own activities…

"This is so boring."

"Shut up!"

Such as they were.

* * *

Lazto, when they finally arrived, turned out to be a sleepy little town on the edge of Lamanti, the southern most province of Theradin. It was as far as they could go by airship without all kinds of inconvenient paperwork. Land travel was far less scrutinized.

Of course, that led to another problem.

"I'm not riding that." Xaldin said firmly as Vexen stared at him coldly and Xigbar sighed.

"Look, Xaldin. I know you hate horses, but you have to. You're not walking the whole damn way to Illendria." Xigbar tried to sound reasonable, but it was hard. This refusal was incredibly stupid. No matter what, Xaldin would end up riding a horse. He was just making things miserable for all of them.

"I don't just hate horses, Xigbar. I fucking loathe horses! They should all be made into a stew." Xaldin said viciously, and Vexen scowled as he reached up to pat the neck of the bay mare.

"Stop being a fool." Xaldin glared at the aethalmage as he continued, voice cold. "I picked out this mare specifically for you, with your friend's comments in mind. She's thirty years old, doesn't like to move past a trot and can be trusted with idiots and children."

"I'm not doing it." Xaldin said mulishly. Vexen sneered.

"Then you can remain here and not get paid." Giving the aethalmage and his partner a poisonous look, Xaldin turned to the mare, taking a deep breath. In one fluid move, he pulled himself onto her back. Vexen lifted his eyebrows at the skill in the movement. "I thought you didn't ride?"

"I don't ride because I hate horses, not because I don't know how." Xaldin grated out, and Vexen decided not to ask. There was probably a painful story there. "Fine, I'll ride the damn thing. Can we get started?"

"After you." Vexen said sardonically, and Xaldin glowered at him a moment before giving him a quick, flashing grin.

"You're a bastard. It's sexy." Vexen looked a bit put out as Xaldin kicked his horse forward. Looking after him with a puzzled frown, the aethalmage mounted his own horse and quickly followed.

Xaldin was a strange man.


End file.
